AASHTO Journal, 27 February 2015
Drivers of vehicles on U.S. roadways drove an additional 18.9 billion miles during 2013 than the year before, the Federal Highway Administration said, pushing total vehicle miles traveled to 2.988 trillion.
Following a milder gain in 2012, that makes 2013 the second consecutive year of mileage increases, following the years when roadway miles traveled began declining as the Great Recession struck in 2008 and then continued to weaken during subsequent years of weak economic growth and repeated spikes in fuel prices.
The new FHWA figures, which include all 50 states and the District of Columbia but not Puerto Rico, also show 2013 had the largest VMT total since that recession and the fourth-highest on record, surpassed only by the 2005-2007 period.
The most recent data runs counter to suggestions from some that total use of the nation’s road system had peaked and begun to ebb after the recession as part of a historic change in long-term trends. The new information suggests instead that demand on the roadway system is returning to historical trends of increased freight traffic and more overall use of passenger vehicles as the economy improves.
One chart in the latest travel data shows the total number of U.S. registered motor vehicles rose to 255.9 million in 2013 from 253.6 million in 2012, in keeping with higher vehicle sales as economic growth continues.
The average number of miles traveled per vehicle edged downward to 11,679 from 11,707 in 2012. However, that includes a 2013 increase in average heavy commercial truck mileage that can have a stronger impact on pavement, while average miles traveled by light-duty passenger vehicles fell to 11,346 from 11,397.
A similar pattern was in effect for fuel consumption. The average annual fuel use per vehicle slipped to 663 gallons in 2013 from 665, but the decline was among passenger vehicles while total fuel consumption rose both for short-haul, single-unit trucks and long-haul combination trucks.
Light-duty vehicles used an average of 524 gallons for all of 2013, down from 529 a year earlier, while their average fuel efficiency ticked up to 21.6 miles per gallon from 21.5 mpg.